Around Here editor/writer

An Athens woman might face criminal charges after she assaulted a man whose two dogs attacked her dog at Southeast Clarke Park on Lexington Road Sunday afternoon, according to Athens-Clarke police.

Police were called to the park about 2:20 p.m. and the responding officer saw two dogs, a black Labrador and a yellow Labrador, attacking a dog in the fenced area reserved for pets, according to the report. Then the same two dogs attacked another smaller dog, the officer said.

The 21-year-old Athens woman then “frantically attempted to protect her smaller dog,” police said. As the officer approached, the woman yelled at the owner of the two large dogs, then began hitting him with her open hand about the head and body, police said.

The woman landed several blows, but the man deflected other hits, according to police.

The officer confronted the woman, who appeared “very upset,” and warned her that “just because her dog got attacked does not give her the right to attack its human owner.”

The woman told the officer the man called her a sexually derogatory name before she hit him.

The officer told the man he should have left the park when he was asked by other patrons to leave because his dogs were aggressive. However, the man told the officer he will pursue an arrest warrant for assault against the woman.

Such problems at the park are rare, city officials said.

“Periodically we get a call that there is an unneutered dog in the park and we deal with it,” said Southeast Clarke Park Director Patsy Sebring. But what happened Sunday “is not normally an issue,” she said.

“Normally we have no problems in the dog park,” she said. “It’s self policing and people are good about it — good about keeping it clean and keeping up with their dogs.”